Obradovich: Hatch opens with populist message

Sep. 16, 2013

Written by

Kathie Obradovich

As campaign announcements go, it was a laughably humble affair. The podium was set up amid the weeds of a barren lot adjacent to a long-closed manufacturing plant just south of downtown Des Moines.

The former Dico plant was a former source of toxic waste that state Sen. Jack Hatch had worked to clean up in the 1980s. John Hedgecoth, senior adviser to Hatch’s gubernatorial campaign, joked about the signs that deer or some other critters had been getting the field dirty again.

“Oh, we have animal (excrement) at our campaign announcement?” Hedgecoth said to reporters before the event. Later, he tweeted, “Better on the ground than from the podium.”

With its seedy location and easy-going tone, it was a contrast to Hatch’s opponents’ campaigns. Democrat Tyler Olson’s campaign image is made for social media and his demeanor suggests high-strung energy. Gov. Terry Branstad, the Republican incumbent, is working to convey the impression he’s building a juggernaut of a campaign that will stun his enemies with shock and awe.

It was a marked improvement, however, from the scene when Hatch launched his exploratory campaign in May. Hatch and his wife, Sonja, sat on a plush loveseat in front of a giant mirror in a preciously decorated room of his real estate development office.

This Hatch has trimmed back his silver mane and pared down his rhetoric to an old-school, roll-up-your-sleeves populist message. He called for raising the minimum wage, giving senior citizens a break on their property taxes, making college more affordable and cleaning up the environment. He outlined an economic development strategy based on developing small towns and neighborhoods rather than chasing out-of-state corporations.

“I will keep fighting the big guy on behalf of the little guy, anywhere, everywhere, all the time,” Hatch said.

He accused the Branstad administration of displaying the “arrogance of power,” and having no goal other than to be the longest-serving governor in U.S. history. While he made it clear he would pull no punches against the Republican incumbent, he declined to compare himself to Olson, a state representative from Cedar Rapids.

Olson is no better known than Hatch around the state, but the 37-year-old’s campaign seems to have a head start in terms of early support from Democratic opinion leaders. Last week, he announced the endorsements of 29 Democratic legislators, including seven senators. I saw lots of people wearing Olson stickers at the Harkin Steak Fry on Sunday and only a few sporting Hatch’s name.

Hatch had three state legislators at his Des Moines announcement: Bruce Hunter, Ako Abdul-Samad and Marti Anderson.

Sue Dvorsky, former state party chairwoman, and her husband, Sen. Bob Dvorsky, were among the Olson backers. Both said they see Olson as an agent for change and new ideas who presents a sharp contrast to Branstad. “We’ve got to move forward, because standing still isn’t doing it,” Sue Dvorsky said.

Hatch, in an interview, shrugged off any significance to Olson’s legislative endorsements. “What people should take is that we have two candidates running for governor that are both articulate and are both trying to be the next governor,” he said.

Legislative endorsements generally are worth a vote apiece and a few headlines. Hatch’s more pressing concern is raising money. He won’t say how much he’s raised so far, but he joked he has told his supporters he needs more.

Joe Enriquez Henry, a Latino community activist who is supporting Hatch as an individual, said Hatch just has to meet as many people as possible. “When people meet Jack, when they listen to what he has to say, clearly they will know he’s the best candidate. That’s what won me over,” Henry said.

Some will raise their eyebrows at the bleak visuals and the idea of a politician launching his campaign from a toxic waste site. But if Hatch continues to present himself as a candidate who doesn’t mind getting his shoes dirty to help Iowans, he’ll be putting his best foot forward.